Art brut oder die Überwindung der Biomacht

In this comprehensive paper, I present the thesis that the clinical biopower—which means biopouvoir according to Michel Foucault—can be countered with the help of artistic ability. In this sense, the psychiatric clinic may turn into a space of inclusion, respect, and true self-unfolding. Following Jean Dubuffet, I give a definition of art brut and analyze some works of German and Austrian outsiders of the 20th century, who succeeded in overcoming life-crises, such as childhood poverty, experiences of war, psychical illness, or social ostracism. I match the biopolitical character of psychiatry clinics against the most recent ideas of art therapy. The remainder of the article is organized in four parts: (1) Introduction: Raw Art, (2) Alterity: Beyond of Normality and Pathology, (3) Talent for Sovereignty, (4) Conclusion: The Between

Workshop in Kinderphilosophie: Ich-Du-Wir. Eine philosophische Entdeckung des Anderen

Die Autorin präsentiert ihr Konzept fü r einen Workshop in Kinderphilosophie, in welchem sie eine theoretische Darstellung der Problematik der Begegnungsphilosophie – in einem pädagogischen Kontext – sowie eine detaillierte Gliederung des Workshops darstellt. Die Teilnehmerinnen und Teilnehmer dieses Workshops sollen die philosophischethische Problematik des Anderen kennenlernen, sie werden dazu befähigt, die folgenden dialogphilosophischen Begriffe zu unterscheiden und inhaltlich abzugrenzen: das Andere, die/der Andere, Dialog, Begegnung, Relation, Solidarität. Die Autorin präsentiert hier, wie die Denkweisen einiger Philosophen auf spielerische Art den Kindern nähergebracht werden (Martin Buber, Emmanuel Lévinas, Jó zef Tischner). Die Kinder sollen somit erfahren,  was die Begegnungsphilosophie beinhaltet, aber vor allem werden die mit den Phänomenen der Alterität konfrontiert. Das Ziel ist es, die soziale und kulturelle Akzeptanz der Kinder fü r den Anderen zu vertiefe

In der Gegenwart der Anderen. Norbert Elias über Leben und Sterben in der modernen Gesellschaft

Artykuł w głównej mierze poświęcony jest analizie późnego eseju Norberta Eliasa Über die Einsamkeit der Sterbenden in unseren Tagen (1982). W pierwszej części autorka rozpatruje socjologiczne refleksje Eliasa nad zmianami we współczesnej percepcji umierania – choroby, starości, śmierci. Zdaniem Eliasa fenomen śmierci podlega systematycznemu wykluczeniu z centrum życia społecznego – z codzienności -, co stanowi o nowej wersji jego „zaczarowania”. W części drugiej przedstawiona jest jedna z najważniejszych tez niniejszego artykułu, tj. idea rozumu anamnetycznego. Autorka skupia się tu na Eliasowskich pojęciach komunikacji, zaangażowania i balansu w strukturze ja-my (resp. ja-ty). Elisowska formuła Ich-Wir-Balance, jako proces uczenia się, ma stanowić o zrównoważeniu i przedefiniowaniu rozumu anamnetycznego / pamięci kolektywnej. W ostatniej, trzeciej części autorka ilustruje krótko pewne podobieństwa między Eliasowską kategorią śmierci a nihilizmem w ujęciu T. Różewicza oraz koncepcją biopolityki G. Agambena

Armut und Autobiographie – Versuch einer Begriffsanalyse

This short working paper is my first attempt to present my concept analysis of relation between the poverty experiences – e.g. childhood suffering by war and migration background, daily life suffering by starvation, abuse, racism etc. – and the process of self-understanding and resilience with the help of an oral history or literature (non-fiction as much as fiction novels). I reflect Wilhelm Dilthey’s opinion about the distinction between autobiography and Self-biography, and I present the Self-biography as a right way to concretize the themes of poverty and exclusion

The Word: Jacques Ellul\u27s Dialogic Response To La Technique

The focus of this interpretive work is primarily to bring two Ellulian metaphors into conversation with one another: la technique, and “the word.” Jacques Ellul (1912-1994), a prominent French philosopher, sociologist, and theologian, is predominantly known for his critique of what he calls la technique, an underlying system which acts as an all-encompassing feature of necessity, which privileges the values of efficiency, speed, and progress in all societal endeavors, and which serves as the predominant interpretive lens by which we can examine and understand our current historical and cultural moment. Technique had its origination in the value system of the machine, but its tentacles have now reached into every aspect of human lived experience, turning humanity into a means, limiting human freedom, and reconstructing truth in terms of fact. In response to what Ellul calls the Technological Society, he presents the idea of “the word,” a dialogic metaphor which illuminates the intersubjective intentionality in human relation by recognizing the value of authentic “encounter” in a phenomenological space which Martin Buber described as “the between.” Ellul prioritizes dialogue over and against the totality of a world given over to Technique. This dissertation seeks to understand the dialectic between these two oppositions, to bring them into conversation with one another in an effort to understand how Ellul’s dialogic hermeneutic can serve as a response to Technique, and to present some possible solutions which can serve to guide human beings seeking liberation within the tyranny of the Technological Society

Preface to the Issue

Preface to the Issu

Spatio-temporal characterization of the multiple current pulse regime of diffuse barrier discharges in helium with nitrogen admixtures

This work reports on the spatio-temporal characterization of the multiple current pulse regime of diffuse barrier discharges driven by sine-wave feeding voltage at a frequency of 2 kHz in helium with small nitrogen admixtures. The discharge gap of 3 mm is bounded by glass plates on both plane electrodes. Priority is given to the lateral discharge inhomogeneities, underlying volume- and surface-memory effects, and the breakdown mechanism. Therefore, relevant processes in the discharge volume and on the dielectric surfaces were investigated by ICCD camera imaging and optical emission spectroscopy in combination with electrical measurements and surface charge diagnostics using the electro-optic Pockels effect of a bismuth silicon oxide crystal. The number of current pulses per half-cycle of the sine-wave voltage rises with increasing nitrogen admixture to helium due to the predominant role of the Penning ionization. Here, the transition from the first glow-like breakdown to the last Townsend-like breakdown is favored by residual species from the former breakdowns which enhance the secondary electron emission during the pre-phase of the later breakdowns. Moreover, the surface charge measurements reveal that the consecutive breakdowns occur alternately at central and peripheral regions on the electrode surface. These spatial inhomogeneities are conserved by the surface charge memory effect as pointed out by the recalculated spatio-temporal development of the gap voltage

Parmenides’ Poem: Riddle from B 5

The paper constitutes a short analysis of the poem of Parmenides from Elea “On Nature”. The author posits that this text is the original aim of ontology. In the author’s opinion, the most important thesis of the poem is to be found in the fragment B 5, in which she recognizes the ancient motive of the self-knowledge (“the inner Way of Truth”). The primary purpose of the analysis is to interpret the mythological language and to reconsider terminology, e.g. Way of Day and Way of Night, Dike and Moira, thymos, plankton noon. Furthermore, the thinking of Parmenides is briefly interpreted in comparison with Heraclitus, Anaximander, and Archytas.